Best Projector under $200 | Lumos Ray Projector Review 2021

Topic:- Best Projector under $200 | Lumos Ray Projector Review 2021

Best Projector under $200 | Lumos Ray Projector Review 2021. Hi guys I’m Shakib and welcome back to TechHypes. Today we have the newly launched LUMOS RAY SMART PROJECTOR from Lumos and I’m going to give you guys my honest review so LUMOS is a company based in Singapore that sells projectors at affordable prices and they’re also well known for their best selling lumps AURO SMART PROJECTOR. Now LUMOS has also released a brand-new model called LUMOS RAY SMART PROJECTOR. Basically, it’s a younger brother of LUMOS AURO SMART PROJECTOR.

UNBOXING

Once you open it you will find that they have secured it inside with a thick plastic sponge to prevent the projector from getting damaged. Followed by that there is a brown box full of cables inside and a user manual to learn how to use the projector.

The projector has a premium and elegant look. The colours are the same as the previous model but they also look like Google’s smart speakers with the white colour and greyish fabric. Below the projector has a screw mounted so I guess you can mount it in a tripod but make sure your tripod can support the weight it.

This is what you’ll get when you open the brown box a single remote control, as well as an HDMI cable along with the projector, will be helpful for you guys to plug into your PC, laptop or gaming consoles right away! One RCA to AV in adapter cable and finally the power cable itself.

There’s a cute leather-like handle attached to the top but I personally don’t like it because it’s not so sturdy enough. It feels so flimsy. So, I hope LUMOS would redesign this handle in their next model or even they could update this model with a better handle like a stronger version.

Besides that, there’s a focusing ring at the top front to focus the image. Input wise there’s an HDMI port, USB-A port, 3.5mm audio jack, AV, IR & a memory card slot. There’s no LAN port but it’s still okay since there’s Wi-Fi.

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The design has totally changed and it’s smaller this time round which makes it easier to bring it outdoor to watch movies or even to your friend’s place to watch soccer on a big screen. It’s so small and very light weighing 1.2kg compared to the AURO projector which weighs 3kg.

Like Netflix and YouTube are already pre-installed, you can download your Netflix shows or apps from Play Store which makes it literally plug and play right off the box. Just like most of the Android TV nowadays it’s running in the Android 6.0 operating system. The menu is simple and easy to navigate with a remote but I’ll still recommend you guys to get a wireless mouse to scroll through your Netflix. In this way, it will be faster compared to if you use the remote only.

When it comes to viewing angles there’s no screw below to increase the height of your projection but inside the zoom settings, you have the keystone correction which means you can adjust the viewing angles according to your own preference via the remote.

PICTURE QUALITY

And I know this is the best part that you guys have been waiting for. So how’s the picture quality like? In this Lumos Ray Smart projector. The most important thing to look for in a projector is the lumens count. The higher your lumens the brighter and clearer your image will be. In this case, this Lumos Ray Smart Projector have 3000 lumens compared to other models in the market which are 1000 lumens or below for a 720p projector.

Lumos Ray is also a short-throw projector that means you can project a bigger image in a shorter distance, unlike long throw projectors. It can project up to 100 inches at 3 meters or 150 inches at 4.5 meters. Unfortunately, I cannot try it because I don’t have that much space in my house but at 2.6 meters you can project it at 70 inches. It runs at 720p native resolution and it also supports 1080p resolution.

When it comes to sharpness, is sharp at a certain point when the projection size is smaller it will be fully sharped but once you start stretching the image into the bigger size it will be blurry a bit and will be sharper in the centre.

This is quite common when it comes to projectors, but you won’t really notice this issue at all seated far or watching movies. If you’re still particular about the sharpness around the corner, then I guess you guys have to take a look at other brands which will cost hundreds to thousands of dollars for a fully sharp and cinematic picture. Compared to this LUMOS brand. But for me, I feel like this LUMOS is more than enough.

BUILT-IN SPEAKERS

Audio sounds good and it’s more than enough to fill your room with cinematic sound. Plus, they have also included Dolby audio codec inside and it’s very rare to see this feature in any projector so far at this price point. This time they have also installed two speakers on both sides, unlike the elder brother which only have the speaker on one side.

However, if you guys don’t like the sound quality of this projector. You can even hook up some external speakers using 3.5mm audio jack output or even Bluetooth speakers to have the home theatre setup. But for me personally, I’m happy with the built-in sound and currently don’t have any plans to add external speakers.

Another great feature that is included in this Lumos Ray is wireless mirror casting, so you can now cast anything from your phone wirelessly from Instagram, Spotify, Presentation and including your games too.

PRICE

Now let’s talk about the price. Lumos Ray Smart Projector comes in 2 different types of pricing and there are 2 different versions too. Okay, version I have the SMART version, which costs SGD $298 and it also comes with YouTube and Netflix pre-installed. There’s another version too which is the regular version comes at $199 SGD but it doesn’t come with Netflix or YouTube pre-installed.

Still okay to just use your pc to plug in and play. Lumos also sells projector stands for you guys to place your projector in case if you guys don’t have any place to put it at your house. So, you guys can get it at $80 or you guys can get it at $55 with the package.

FINAL THOUGHT

So, who do I recommend this and who is it for? If you love watching movies on big screens like a cinema with your friends and family or you want a bigger screen at an affordable price instead of dropping thousands of dollars on bigger size TV. I will surely recommend this.

Finally, you really can’t be expecting the highest quality resolution or DLP like quality in these cinemas at this price point. If you really want the best picture of an amazing quality then you have to pay more for it. Overall, I would say it’s a simple and great quality projector for its price. IT’S SMALL BUT IT’S POWERFUL! So what are you guys waiting for?